CMS will raise limits for payments to Medicare Advantage brokers for 2026.
According to a notice from CMS published June 18, plans can pay brokers up to $694 for new enrollments in MA plans, and $347 for renewing existing members. These amounts are higher in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California and the District of Columbia.
Here are three things to know:
- In 2024, CMS issued a final rule capping the total compensation MA plans can pay brokers at $611 for a new member, and $306 for a renewal. The caps included payments to brokers for administrative services, which were previously excluded from limits.
- In July 2024, a federal judge stayed the regulation until a final decision was issued.
- The limit increase comes as some insurers cut broker compensation for some MA plans. UnitedHealthcare will no longer pay compensation for new enrollments in some of its MA plans beginning in July. In 2024, Aetna, Elevance Health and Cigna eliminated payments for some of their MA plans.
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